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As I sit at my desk, groaning after the gastronomic stimulus we’ve imbibed over the past couple of weeks, I’m craving some comforting soups to ward off the wet chill and to renew and cleanse my body for the new year.

Soups have always been enjoyed by my family at practically every meal growing up. To us, it was a major staple. For my family, it was the proper way to begin a dinner and sometimes end it. Full flavoured bones, slow simmered with garden fresh vegetables, starches of firm noodles, hearty grains of rice or barley and heady aromatic herbs — this was the basis of a good soup, whether at home or a restaurant.

It seems things have changed over the years, and in many restaurants, so have soups, unfortunately made weaker due to the poor practice of getting rid of yesterday’s leftovers or aged vegetables. Soups are still a part of a meal, seen on menus from Asia menus to Europe. But it seems that precious time reigns in most kitchens, and that slow-cooked soups are an art lost to many.

According to my dear friend, Barbara Kafka, the well-penned New York cookbook author, “Soup is easy. Anyone who can boil water can make soup.

“For all of us, no matter where we come from, the soups we had with our family as children and, later, as adults are those we return to with a special pleasure. I have many friends and I have enjoyed the soups that I have made for them and those that they have made for me; but the family soups still hold a special place for me, the soups of love.”

It’s easy to open a tin of prepared soup and hastily heat it on the stove. These are the commercial soups I usually have a difficult time with. Maybe it’s the typically overcooked vegetables, the over-seasoned broth, or perhaps the nondescript stabilizers, emulsifiers or preservatives?

I agree with Barbara, that soup is relatively easy. It’s comforting and nourishing for a wet, winter warm up. Not to mention it fills the household with the aroma of home-cooked goodness.

Here are seven wonderful and simple soup recipes starting with my mother’s shredded chicken and ginger congee, which is ultimately my favourite comfort soup. From Barbara Kafkas’s 1998 award-winning cookbook Soup: A Way of Life (Artisan, 1998) a wonderful dill-spiked ruby red borscht, perfect for a belated celebration of Ukrainian Christmas or for their upcoming new year.

Certainly one of my favourite comfort foods as a child and to this day is congee. It soothes my body and soul, especially if I’m a bit under the weather, or even after returning from a major trip of gastronomic adventures. As with most family dishes, there aren’t specific recipes. When my friend and cookbook author Barbara Kafka asked if she could have my mother’s congee recipe, my mother replied, “what recipe?” I immediately told Mom: “The one I’m going to write for you!” It’s as close as I can get, but not as wonderful as when my mother makes it.

In a small bowl cover the rice with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Allow to sit at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

Place the scallops in a small heatproof bowl and cover with ½ cup (125 mL) hot water. Allow to soak for an hour or until soft. Using your hands, shred the softened scallops into threads and keep in its soaking liquid.

Place the Chinese mushrooms in 1 cup (250 mL) hot water for 15 minutes or until soft. Cut off woody stems and slice into thin strips. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil with the chicken breast and thighs, and the julienned ginger. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and allow to cool.

Add the soaked rice, with its liquid, to the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer very gently, covered and stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 hours, or until the rice is very soft and falling apart, almost like a purée. Add the sliced mushrooms and shredded scallops and its soaking liquid to the congee.

Hand shred the chicken and stir into the congee. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 more minutes.

Add the finely chopped ginger, green onions, the remaining salt, vegetable oil and the red pepper flakes to a food processor or blender and process until mixed.

Ladle the congee into bowls and drizzle with the purée. Top with peanuts and cilantro. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper.

Although renowned for their superb Neapolitan pizzas with their slightly charred, crisp and chewy crusts, to their innovative refreshing and simple salads, chef Christopher Picek came up with this comforting Italian-inspired winter vegetable soup, finished with grated Parmesan and a drizzling of olive oil!

Serves 4 to 6

½ cup (125 mL) canola oil

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

2 turnips, peeled and diced

1 small onion, finely chopped

8 cups (2 litres) vegetable broth

1 cup (250 mL) cooked white beans (cannellini, lima, white navy)

1 cup (250 mL) grated grana padano or Parmesan cheese

½ cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

2 oz. (60 g) shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

¼ cup (60 mL) coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add a couple tablespoons of the canola oil and sauté the carrots until they have light colour; remove from the pan and drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Repeat with the parsnips, turnip and onion, cooking them all separately. You can combine all the vegetables once they are cooked – no need to keep them separated.

In a large soup pot, add the cooked vegetables and heat gently over medium low heat until they release some of their moisture. Add the vegetable stock and bring up to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season.

Right before serving, stir in the grated cheese, olive oil, shiitake mushrooms and parsley.

Ladle into warm soup bowls.

Jerusalem Artichoke, Thyme & Smoked Tofu Soup

Jason Leizert, executive chef, The Parker

Another new arrival on Vancouver’s ever-growing restaurant list, famed local mixologist Steve Da Cruz and the young, gifted chef Jason Leizert have opened The Parker. Featuring beautifully cooked and presented vegetarian dishes, The Parker has quickly gained a strong following since its recent opening. Here, Leizert has created a sublime cream puréed soup featuring Jerusalem artichokes (sometimes known as sunchokes) and garnished with smoked tofu, which is available at many specialty grocery stores.

Serves 4 to 6

1 pound (454 g) Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and sliced

6 tablespoons (90 mL) canola

1 large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, roasted

4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stem

1 bay leaf (fresh if possible)

6 cups (1 ½ litres) vegetable stock

1 cup (250 mL) heavy cream

kosher salt, to taste

1 cup diced smoked tofu

Heat canola in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the onions soften but do not colour.

Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute then add the sliced Jerusalem artichokes and sauté for 5 minutes. Add vegetable stock and simmer (uncovered) for 20 minutes or until chokes are soft. Add the cream and remove from the heat.

Working in batches, transfer the soup mixture to a blender, making sure to fill the blender no more than half full. Purée until smooth. Season blended soup with kosher salt to taste.

Garnish each bowl with smoked tofu and chopped thyme before serving.

Red Russian Soup (Borscht) from Barbara Kafka’s Soup: A Way of Life (Artisan, 1998)

Although there are various recipes for borscht, the famed cold-weather soup filled with winter vegetables and nourishment, this recipe comes from my dear friend, award-winning New York cookbook writer and journalist Barbara Kafka. “Coming from a long line of socialists rather than observant Jews, my favourite version includes the pork knuckle and the sour cream. Beets vary enormously in sweetness; care must be taken to taste the soup before adding sugar and adjust accordingly … it should have a decidedly sweet-and-sour balance.”

In a large stockpot, bring the short ribs, shin, or ham hock and 10 cups (2 ½ litres) water to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer very gently, skimming occasionally, for an hour and a half to 2 hours. If using the ham hocks, add the beef chuck and continue to cook for 1 hour.

Remove all the meat from the liquid. Remove the meat from the bones and trim off any fat. Cut the meat, including the beef chuck, if using, into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes and reserve. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid. Measure the liquid and add enough cold water to equal 7 cups (1.75 litres). Return the liquid to the pot.

While the meat is cooking, in a medium stockpot, place the beets in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until beets can easily be pierced with a knife. Trim the beets and remove the skin. Cut into large matchstick strips and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid from the beets through a coffee filter. Measure 5 cups (1.25 litres); add water if necessary. Reserve.

Add the tomatoes, carrots, onion, cabbage, garlic, and bay leaf to the liquid reserved from cooking the meat. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the carrots are almost tender.

Stir in the beets and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved beet liquid, the vinegar, sugar (as needed), dill, cubed meat, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and allow the flavours to blend for at least one hour or overnight.

Reheat the soup. Place 2 boiled potato halves in each bowl. Ladle about 2 cups (500 mL) soup over the potatoes. Float 1 tablespoon (15 mlL) sour cream on top and sprinkle with dill.

Manila Clam Miso Soup

Matsuoka Kazuya, executive chef Minami Restaurant

Most people think miso soup is made by just adding miso paste to boiling water, but a proper miso soup is made with the addition of konbu (dried kelp) and bonito (dried shaved tuna flakes), which gives the broth more depth and umami, which the Japanese consider as a distinct savoury taste. Umami is one of the five basic tastes, the others being sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

At Yaletown’s Minami, they have a daily special miso soup. Here is one of their popular variations, using fresh manila clams, tofu, wakame seaweed and a hint of sake.

Serves 4

4 cups (1 litre) water

½ handful bonito flakes

½ ounce (15 g) konbu (dried kelp)

¼ cup (60 mL) miso paste

¼ cup (60 mL) white miso paste

20 manila clams

2 ½ ounces (75 g) wakame (dried seaweed)

4 ounces (120 g) tofu, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes

1 tablespoon (15 mL) sake

In a saucepan, add water, bonito flakes, konbu, miso paste and sake. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain broth, discarding solids, and mix in white miso paste. Add clams and bring to a boil. Add wakame, tofu and the sake.

Divide clams among heated bowls and pour in miso soup.

Ham Hock Soup

David Gunawan, executive chef, Wildebeest

Another new arrival on the city’s culinary scene, Wildebeest showcases the talents of executive chef David Gunawan and his focus on meat-centric, whole animal cookery and off-cut farmhouse fare. This soothing cold-weather soup uses hearty smoked ham hock, known for its nutrient-packed gelatin and flavour, and commonly used for Split Pea Soup. Chef Gunawan suggests making the ham hock broth the day before, which makes the removal of the fat a lot easier.

The hearty soup and cornucopia of vegetables from celeriac and cauliflower to kale, is graced with a drizzling of a delicate parsley and pine nut pistou.

Serves 8 to 10

Ham Hock Stock

2 smoked ham hocks

20 cups (5 litres) water

1 medium carrot, peeled and halved

1 medium onion, halved

1 stalk celery, halved

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons (10 mL) salt

1 teaspoon (5 mL) whole black peppercorns

In a large pot, bring ham hocks and all other ingredients to a simmer, skimming off any impurities that surface. Continue to simmer uncovered for 90 minutes or until the ham hock is fork tender. Let the pot cool down to room temperature and drain, reserving the stock and the ham hocks.

Place the stock in a container, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the meat, discarding the bones and skin, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

reserved ham hock stock

1 carrot, cut into ¼-inch (1/2 cm) cubes

1 medium celeriac, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (1/2 cm) cubes

1 Yukon Gold potato, cut into ¼-inch (1/2 cm) cubes

2 stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch (1/2 cm) cubes

½ small leek (white part only), cut into ¼-inch (1/2 cm) cubes

½ head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

1 bunch kale, shredded into bite-sized leaves

2 tablespoons (30 mL) grated Parmesan cheese

reserved ham hock meat

Remove the stock from the refrigerator and skim off the fat layer on the surface. In a large pot, bring the stock to a simmer and add the potatoes, celeriac and carrots. Let cook for 15 minutes. Then add the cauliflower, leek and celery and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the kale and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Cut the reserved ham hock meat into bite-size pieces. Add the reserved ham hock meat to the soup and simmer until heated through or all vegetables are cooked thoroughly.

Ladle soup into warm soup bowls and garnish with a dollop of parsley pistou (below) and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Parsley Pistou

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves only

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 mL) pine nuts

1 lemon, zested and juiced

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Process, slowly adding olive oil until ingredients form a thick paste. Transfer to a small bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside.

Pacific Provider Smoked Pink Salmon Potage

Chris Whittaker, executive chef, Forage

Forage, recently opened at the space at the former O’Douls on Robson Street under the guidance of passionate young head chef Chris Whittaker, is showcasing local, seasonal and sustainable Vancouver cuisine at its finest. “Sustainability is what unites most of Vancouver’s finest chefs and what the city’s most frequent diners are looking for — a sense of place and a connection to the menu items they are choosing from.” But sustainability doesn’t just stop at the kitchen door, as Forage’s philosophy focuses on the other aspects of running a restaurant, from saving energy to conserving water and composting. Products are sourced from all local and/or organic suppliers.

Here, Whittaker features a less commonly used and served pink salmon, which he sources from fisherman Rick Burn, as he knows it’s caught and quickly flash frozen at sea on Burn’s Pacific Provider boat. It is a wonderful fish, plentiful in stocks and should be used more often than the other popular species. This is sustainability.

Serves 4 to 6

2 ½ teaspoon (13 mL) olive oil

1 ½ cups (375 mL) onion, diced

1 ½ cups (375 mL) carrot, diced

1 ½ cups (375 mL) celeriac, diced

1 tablespoon (15 mL) garlic, minced

¼ cup (60 mL) white wine

1 ½ cups organic split peas (soaked overnight)

8 cups (2 litres) salmon or whitefish stock

1 tablespoon (15 mL) kosher salt

1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground white pepper

1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground fennel seed

¼ teaspoon (1 mL) ground chili flakes

2 bay leaves

1 ½ cups (375 mL) smoked pink salmon, diced

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celeriac and garlic. Sauté until translucent. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half. Add the rest of ingredients except the smoked salmon and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, for approximately 1.5 hours or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally. When ready, stir in smoked salmon and cook for an additional 5 minutes to warm up the salmon. Adjust seasoning and serve in warm soup bowls.

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I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.